Nirmala Iyer Chapter 1: The Festival Night The small temple town of Thiruvelli, nestled between rolling hills and fields of swaying paddy, had long lived in quiet rhythm, its people rising with the temple bells and sleeping to the lull of evening chants. But during Panguni Uthiram, the silence broke into a grand spectacle of devotion and festivity. From dawn, narrow streets lined with banyan trees overflowed with pilgrims who had walked for miles barefoot, carrying offerings of coconuts, garlands, and pots of milk. Stalls selling sweet jaggery pongal, jasmine flowers, and brass lamps dotted the lanes, their fragrances mingling…
